While Drake's Deception has some interesting twists on the typical third-person shooter, the current beta is plagued by a couple of obnoxious bugs that sour the experience. These function similarly to kill streak rewards from Modern Warfare, but are instead activated by obtaining medals scattered across the battlefield or from fallen opponents. In addition to boosters, a new system called Kickbacks is introduced. There are separate co-operative boosters to purchase as well, allowing players to increase their movement speed or heal faster. These unlockable upgrades seem fairly standard for competitive shooters, such as expanded ammo clips, radar stealth, and reduced spawn timers.
AdvertisementĪ solid number of boosters are available, though, which is this game's variation of the popular perk system from not only the previous Uncharted title but Call of Duty as well. Conversely, the thrill of stumbling upon the other two teams engaging each other, only to mercilessly pick off any survivors, is satisfying. While engaged in a firefight with Team Yellow, an opponent from Team Red could creep up from behind and take you out. While some may feel overwhelmed by an additional contingent to deal with, it adds an extra layer of suspense to combat situations. Three-Team Deathmatch is a slight variation of the classic team combat, instead pitting three teams of two against each other in a race to accumulate the most kills.
These modes are all entertaining based on the strength of the game's core mechanics, but the real fun is in Uncharted 3's new game types. Hardcore is essentially the same, except all perks and boosts are disabled, providing a more minimalist experience.
The Team Deathmatch and Free For All modes should be familiar to anyone who has played a shooter in the last 15 years. Only two maps are available at the moment, Chateau and Airstrip, but more arenas and modes will be unlocked over the course of the beta period. Currently, the available game types are Team Deathmatch, Three-Team Deathmatch, Free For All, Hardcore, and Co-Op Arena.
The online beta test launched yesterday for PlayStation Plus subscribers (which, because of Sony's "Welcome Back" program, should be most people by now) and contains a number of modes to play. Thankfully, this type of multiplayer affair is recreated faithfully in Drake's Deception. The game's core mechanics translated well to the competitive arena, offering incentives for players to slow down and outsmart their opponents with well-placed cover and concealment. To this day, I still believe that Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is one of the best online experiences to be found on the PlayStation 3. But is it worth your time to dive in to this limited, rough online beta test?īeing a fan of the previous entry's online offerings, I was excited to see what the Naughty Dog team would bring to the table this time around. The studio has released a public beta on the PlayStation Network, allowing PlayStation Plus subscribers and owners of inFamous 2 to snag an early look at the title's multiplayer component.
For those hoping to sample a bit of Sony's upcoming Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, developer Naughty Dog has arrived with your fix.